What is a Strongman?

By Robin Wright – Perhaps a more fitting description is StrongHuman…. as the sport is not only for the big boys but for light men and woman who want to push their bodies and minds to the max. They may even blow a few blood vessels along the way, regardless of their size!

In my view, Strongman is a combination of the discipline of Bodybuilding, power and technique of Powerlifting and essence and age of Highland Games. Blend them together with heavy implements, shaken rigorously with several years of training and “BAM” you have a well rounded Strongman. However there is one ingredient that only the athlete can bring. That is the special blend of heart, passion, and mental fortitude to endure.

By the way, a great strongman may not come from any of the backgrounds described above. He/she may appear from the woodwork with an immense dedication to the sport and a 110% attitude applied to every training session and competition. Beneath this lies a positive outlook, true sportsmanship and a healthy competitive appetite.

You may find Strongman competitions most anywhere; community fairs, part of Celtic festivals, stand-alone competitions, and often as an extension of large bodybuilding events. In Europe, strongman sports are HUGE! European strongman stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many football and hockey players here in North America. Some are even sponsored well by their respective governments…. I wish I was!

Personally I am a fan of ‘Olde-time Strongman’ including guys like Louis Cyr, Eugen Sandow, and Paul Anderson. These men were phenomenal! Strong from morning to night. I like the fact that we are stronger than 95% of the general population. We can walk into a gym in our street clothes bang off 5-6 plates for reps in a deadlift without the use of belts, wraps or straps. We can throw up some stones on the platform, and pound out some heavy hammer curls quicker than the guy warming up to do his circuit training routine while sipping on his low fat Chai Latte, rocking to ABBA and checking e-mails on his Blackberry. Not saying anything’s wrong with ABBA…. merely that I have a different opinion of what a training routine should be.

I believe in grass roots and novice competitions. We need to build up the new athlete bases to be able to produce top-ranking international athletes. Competitions should be challenging for the athlete but fun! I want them to come back next year or to the next level of event. My hope is that athletes will feel well recognized for their efforts even if they do not win. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front a big crowd and perform. It requires strength to be composed when you fail. It takes a Strongman to encourage and push their fellow Strongman to succeed even if it means they get beaten. All these elements make up the incredible sport of Strongman!